Trap-nest.



PATENTED r313. 25, 1908.

W. H. WARNER, JR-

TRAP NEST.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 18. 1907.

Arm/m5 V5 WILLIAM H. WARNER, JR, OF ALLEGAN, MICHIGAN TRAl P-NE STE.

Specification of Letters Patent."

Patented Feb, 5555, 199

Application filed March 18 1907! Serial No. 363058- T 0 all whom it mayconcern:

Be it known that I, -WILLIAM H. WARNER, Jr., a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Allegan, the county of Allegan and State ofMichigan, have invented a new and useful Trnpdi est, of which thefollowing is a specification. x

This invention relates to trap nests for fowls, wherein means areprovided for operating automatically the entrance door, as soon an egghas been laid by a iowl sitting on the 1 t; and the main object of theinvention is to provide the nest with such simple mechanism that whenthe entrance door is opened and held open by suitable trippin mechanism,it will remain in that position until a "r'owl on the nest lays an egg,which latter, will immediately roll down suitably inclined surfaces,padded to prevent the egg from breaking, and striking the paddedabutting plate will operate the trip mechanism and cause the door tofall, imprisoning the fowl which remains inclosed within the nest boxuntil released by the person in charge. 4

With this and other objects in view the invention eonsixs of the novelconstruction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter describedand definitely claimed.

In the accompanying lrawings: Figure 1 is a longitudinal verticalsectional view of the improved trap nest. F 2 is a perspectiveview ofone end of trap nest partly rolren away, to show more clearly Lll)triping mechanism.

Similar numerals of reference indicate correspomling parts in theseveral figures.

In trap nests of this type it has been deemed advisable to providecertain devices by means of which the entrance door is held open untilan egg has been laid, and then to cause the latter to operate the tripmechans ism whereby the door is closed and the fowl laying the egg helda prisoner until released. The fowl may enter thrdugh the open door andeven get on the nest and remain there indefinitely without causing thedoor to be closed unless an has been laid. By thus arranging thetripping mechanism, a double purpose is served. In the first place, afowl may enter the trap box. and get on the nest, and, beingdissatisfied with itor her surroundings as is often the case she canleave the nest and seek another; and in the second place, when theperson in charge sees a trap nest with a closed door he knows that anegg has been laid, and the fowl which laid the is imprisoned within thebox. When the box is opened to get the egg and re lease uhe fowl it isabsolutely'known that the egg taken outwas laid by the particular fowlreleased and can be identified, an irnportant fact ,to breeders of highclass fowls.

In the trep nest showiji in Le drawing the nuineral l in lie-ates a boxprovided with a partition. 2 about midw y its length, this partitiondivides the hex into two sections or rooms, the en nee room 3 and thenest room 4, a lid is pivoted to the box so that it may be read openedto release the fowl held therein. 'he entrance to the trap nest isprovidedwith an opening 6 which may he closed by a'swinging door 7,slatted wi. ow

8 is placed in the front of the box above the door opening for theadmission of air and. to temper the light entering the box through saidwindow. The upper port of the pan tition 2 is provided with an opening90f sufficient size to permit the iowl to pass therethrough onto thenest 10 ac-ed the upper end ol 'an inclined runua'" 11, having its uppersurface padded or i is wise prepared to permit an egg to roll thereonwithout breaking.

The sin box i of the l i nest is made with vertical end ,ie'and a fiatbottom, the top may also he its parallel to the bottom, inclined orpieced in any other position 0n the "ear of the box 3 is placed anextent )1 12 vnich resernbles a small box half t :e height of the treenest and having a length eeual to the width thereof. Within theextension 12 is placed inclined platform 13 padded at 14 and upon whichthe egg falls and rolls down to operate the trip mechanism, Through therear of the box 1 is an opening 15 leading into the extension 12 throughwhich the lower end of the runway ibprojects. Through this opening 15the passes as soon as it is laid and falls onto the padded incline 13. Yi

Pivoted to one side of the door 7 is a rod 16 which extends rearwardiyand terminates just within the extension 12 where it is provided with anoffset 17 formed, for instance, by bending the end of the wire into anyshape desired. The central partition 2 and t e rear of the box 1--areprovided with vertical slots 18 and 19 through which said wire passesand which is upheld by a small slipport' 16 at its free end. Within theextenspeed of the egg-just before it falls sion 12 and attached to therear wall of the trap nest beneath the projecting end of the runway 11,are guides 21 through which extends a trip rod 22. The upper end of saidrod 22 is adapted to slide behind the offset 17 on the rod 16 to preventit from moving longitudinally in a rearward direction by the weight ofthe uplifted door 7; The lower end of the trip rod 22 has attached to itnear the end wall 23 of the extension 12 an abut ting plate 24, itsouter end being supported on a pin 25 projecting from thewall 23 to holdthe bottom of the abutting plate 24 just above the padded surface 14 ofthe inclined platform 13. A hole 28 is made through the wall 23 justbohindthe abutting plate 24, by means of which the trap is set. Acurtain 27 is tacked to the rear wall of the trap box 1 within theextension 12 to cover the opening 15 and in a measure retard the I ontothe inclined platform 13.

' The trap is set by swinging the door 7 in wardly on its hinges to somepoint above the horizontal in order that the rod 16 will have a tendencyto move rearwardly when the door is. released. After the door has beenraised a small stick, nail or anything small enough is ushed through thehole 26 in the wall 23 o' the extension and striking the abuttingplate24 slides the trip rod 22 in its bearings until its upper end 28passing bchind the finger 17 on the rod 16, thus retaining the door? inelevated position. As soon as the fowl has laid an egg the latter rollsdown the runway 11, drops on to the padded surface of the inclinedplatform 13 and rolling downwardly thereon it strikes the paddedabutting plate 24 with sufficient force to cause the trip rod 22 to bedisengaged from the finger 17 ;'the rod 16 being now free, the door 7falls by grayity and closes the opening 6 through which the fowlentered.

Having thus'described the invention what is claimed is:

1. ;A trap nest having a hinged door, an inclined runway composed of twoparts at an angle to each other and forming continuous passagefor thenewly laid egg, a rod extend ln'g from the door when fully opened. tothe rear end of the higher runway, a sliding abutinentnear the end ofthe lower runway, and a trip means connected. to said abutment 1 eraeeoway and adapted to engage the end of said rod, whereby the door iscaused to fall when a newly laid egg rolling down the runway.

strikes the abutment and disengages the rod. 3. A trap nest having ahinged'door, a lurality of consecutive inclined surfaces lorming arunway, a sliding abutment hear the end of said runway, and a tripdevice be tween said abutment and the .hinged door whereby the door isheldopen by the ,trip device when the abutment is moved forward, andpermitted to dropwhen theabutinent has been moved by a newly laid eggrolling-down the runway causing the trip device to operate and permitthe door to fall.

4. A trap nest, comprising a box having a central partition and anextension on the rear of said box, an inclined runway extend ing fromsaid partition into the extension through an opening formed in the rearWall of said box, a second inclined runway Within said extension, ahinged. door for said trap nest, a rod extending from said door throughthe said extension, and a tripping device in said extension for engagingsaid rod to hold said ,door in open position. I

5. A trap nest, provided with a hinged door and a rod' extendingtherefrom to the rear of the nest, a sliding rod adapted to en gage saidfirst'mentioned rod to hold the door in open position, an abutment onthe lower end. of said sliding rod, and an" inclined run .way extendingfrom a nest to said abutment,

and down which an egg newly laid by a fowl on said' nest will roll andstriking the abutment cause the door to close.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto ailixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

. WILLIAM H. WARNER, JR. VVitnesses:

WiLLiAM 1V. WARNER, H. D. Pnrronnnn.

